How I fell in love with shooters

As a hardcore gamer I play almost every game genre, but FPS (first person shooting) games have alway caught my attention more then the rest, particularly the Call of Duty series. Call of Duty has a big reputation as one of the best action shooters as well as one of the highest grossing video games of all time. One of my absolute favorites of the entire series would definitely have to be Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare specifically for the Xbox 360 system.

The game was developed by a company called Infinity Ward, and published by a company called Activision. This entry in the series was a huge leap in game design from the previous Call of Duty games because it was the first Call of Duty to be set in a modern time period. Before this, the original Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, and 3, were all set during WWII. The game had an excellent campaign (story) mode. In a nutshell it was about a fictional global conflict and multiple special forces carrying out different missions in different locations in an attempt to stop a terrorist from launching a missile strike on the Eastern Seaboard. But this was not the only thing about the game that made it a favorite.

The game also featured a competitive online multiplayer mode and a ranking system that allows the players to progress by getting scoring kills, completing game objectives, and completing matches. A few of the game types in the multiplayer mode would be Free For All, Team Death-match, Capture the Flag, and Domination. In Free For All, it is every man for himself and Team Death-match has the same goal but players are put into teams. They are both similar in that the way to win the match is to eliminate as many enemy players as possible until the goal score has been reached. Capture the flag is a simple objective game type that has the players capture the enemy team’s flag and return it to their base. Domination is another objective game type that has one team trying to plant a bomb and protect it until it detonates, while the opposing team’s objective is to defuse it before it detonates.

As you progress through multiplayer, you unlock higher levels and each level unlocks new weapons, perks and other upgrades such as suppressors, extended magazines, and sightings that could be attached to a player’s weapon and give them a small edge in gameplay as well as add some customization options. On top of this, there was another optional challenge in the the multiplayer part of the game which was to gain a higher prestige rank. As a player continued to play online, they would eventually reach a level cap at 55. At this point it was up to the player to decide if they wanted to “prestige”, which is the process of resetting your all your progress and starting over and receiving a higher rank symbol. Among the Call of Duty community, the higher the prestige rank the better the player. The multiplayer in this game was super fast paced and it brought something to the table that other shooters didn’t. It had fantastic graphics for its time and engaging multiplayer modes. Its ranking system was addictive and made players strive to be the best among their peers.

Lastly there was one other reason I loved the game and it was because it increased my gaming skills to a whole new level. After playing it for weeks on end, I began to develop a sort of sixth sense in the game. I realized I was a much more efficient player, my reflexes were much faster, and I was capable of crushing my opponents in almost every match I played. I was able to think 2 or 3 steps ahead and at times predicted where my opponents would be even before they got there, giving me the advantage every time. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare became more than just a game, it was a way of life for me. I carried on this heightened sense with me into other competitive FPS games like Halo and Battlefield. This heightened sense and constant action and adrenaline have contributed to my passion and love for video games of all kinds, but shooters will always be my absolute favorite, and it all started with Call of Duty.